Black Lagoon: Wolf Den
by Ricknarok
Summary: Roanapur has long been a city built on lies, death and ash. Lagoon Company have gone too long without a job and they are growing tired. But when an unscrupulous man approaches them with a particularly intriguing job offer, they cannot help but venture into the den of wolves... 'Book 1 of the "City of Ashes" Trilogy.'
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Alpha

"Line them up," Ladarius ordered his men. The mercenaries, clad in makeshift cloth and armoured vests, grabbed the three prisoners and lined them up before their leader. The bags currently covering their heads were removed by Ladarius, who proceeded to examine them. The first, to the left, was a short man, with matted brown hair, blue eyes and a mean glare. He wore a denim jacket and combat pants. The man in the middle was taller, wearing a leather aviator jacket and black, woollen gloves. He refused to look Ladarius in the eye. Lastly, to the right stood a burly, bald man in his thirties. He wore only a tank top and shorts. Their weapons had been confiscated when Ladarius's men took them aboard the carriage container they found themselves in. Judging by the movement and the lantern hanging from the top of the container, they were being transported by a truck of some sort. Where they were going was another matter.

"Alright, boys," Ladarius began. "You know why you're here. Well, one of you does anyway. The name's Ladarius. About two weeks ago, one of my associates by the name of Rex Huntington was assassinated. We've narrowed the suspect list down to you three fine specimens." He spoke with a southern American accent and if the way he held himself meant anything, he was former military. Now, he was the ruthless and unforgiving leader of an expansive, convoluted mercenary organisation calling themselves the Black Marchers. Rick had shot Res Huntington dead from the rooftop of a nearby building. He would not admit to it, of course. He preferred to bide his time while Ladarius tried to figure out which of the three men before him was responsible. "Rex was my second-in-command. I'm sure I don't need to tell you three why his death pisses me off. I'm going to give you one chance to tell me which one of you did it." That was met with complete silence. "Alrighty, then. Shoot their knees." There were only three mercenaries present in the container, not including Ladarius. Rick needed to act right away. As one of the men raised his gun, Rick shot a calculated kick into the man's hand, knocking the gun to the ground. "It's the middle one! In the aviator jacket, shoot him!" But they were far too slow. Rick had them all dead in seconds. He aimed his gun at Ladarius.

"Sorry, man," he said mockingly. "Not today."

"So, you're the infamous Wolf. I've heard about you. Didn't believe my boys when they told me it was you that offed Rex. I thought you'd have bigger fish to fry."

"What can I say, the job paid well," Rick, otherwise known by his moniker of 'the Wolf', admitted dryly. The truck came to a halt, presumably because the driver heard the gunshots. As the container door opened, Wolf shot the driver dead instantly. The two men that had been in the line-up fled immediately. While they were most certainly criminals, they had nothing to do with the conflict currently taking place.

"You don't have to do this," Ladarius pleaded, though he bore an expression of strength and stoicism. "I can double whatever your client offered. All you have to do is walk away and leave me to my business." Wolf smiled sinisterly.

"It's funny, I wasn't actually hired to assassinate you." An expression of relief spread across Ladarius's face. "But if I leave you alive, you'll more than likely send someone after me." He pulled the trigger, not thinking about it too much. It was always better to be safe about these things, especially in this business. Wolf had somewhere he needed to be. Had Ladarius not sent his goons to kidnap him, Wolf would be there already. He left the container and started towards the centre of town. He needed a ride back home.

"Are you just going to sit around and drink all day?" asked Rock, taking a seat on the couch that Revy was currently not splayed out across.

"Yup," she answered shortly, cracking open another can of beer and guzzling a quarter of it in one gulp. It was just the two of them alone in the apartment today. Dutch was out talking to a client and Benny was who-knew-where with his new girlfriend. Nothing much had happened in Roanapur during the last two months. Lagoon Company hadn't gotten any jobs, either. Apparently, the business involving the Lovelace family had caused a severe drop in criminal activity. Things would pick up soon, naturally. Dutch's meeting with a client proved that much. Even so, it felt strange to go so long without working.

"Seriously?" Rock asked. Revy never failed to surprise him. As long as they had been colleagues and despite the signs that suggested she might be softening, Revy always reverted to her cold-hearted, callous persona.

"The fuck else is there to do?" That was a fair point. "You find someone for me to shoot, you let me know."

"Will do," Rock replied sarcastically under his breath. All they could do right now was to wait for Dutch to come back. Hopefully, he would have news. If they didn't get work soon, they would go insane. Revy was already becoming increasingly irritable, and that was saying something. Even Hotel Moscow hadn't been in contact with them for some time. It was slim pickings in Roanapur these days. Rock snatched up the remote and turned over to the international news. Considering there was nothing particularly exciting happening in Thailand, he thought he might as well check in on the rest of the world.

"…although police say they do not recognise a pattern. The men were found dead just last night outside of Rhinebeck, New York. One of the victims, a man that has been identified as Ladarius Crews, was known to be the leader of a prolific mercenary group calling themselves the Black Marchers. It is unknown who was responsible for what is being described as a 'rival killing.' Police will continue-"

"Same shit, different day," Revy grumbled. "Isn't there anything better on?" Rock left the remote down by her side.

"See for yourself," he told her glumly, heading for the door. He left the room without another word, making his way through the streets. While at one time he may have been pickpocketed or attacked by Roanapur's many criminals, today was a result of the 'crime drought' the city was having. There were hardly any people about and those that were either had something to sell or someone to kill. They paid Rock little to no attention. He strolled through the winding alleys and streets for almost an hour. Lately, he had been conflicted about his life choices. He often found himself pondering how he had come to find himself in this moment, under these circumstances. He was unsure yet whether he was content or not with this life. A lesson he had almost come to embrace was that if one truly sought to live and thrive in the filth, one had to completely submerge oneself in the darkness. Rock had long considered plunging into the darkness and letting it corrupt him thoroughly. He almost did, not long ago. Even so, now was not the time for such thoughts. He turned around and made his way back home. Entering the apartment once more and making his way to the living room, he found Ditch. The large man turned to face him.

"Rock," he began. "Glad you're here. I've got news. Big news. Get your shit together, we've got a job."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Time to Move

"So who the fuck is this guy?" Revy asked as she propped her feet up on the seat in front of her. Rock frowned irritably, sitting firmly in the passenger seat of the car that Revy's boots were currently planted against. "You were pretty vague back home, Dutch."

"I'm not sure, exactly," Dutch answered. The meeting with their client went surprisingly well. The man, calling himself Ulysses, expressed interest in hiring Lagoon Company alongside a slew of other highly competent criminals. He had a job for them, apparently, one he would not divulge just yet. Far north of Roanapur he had a warehouse where he would be at midnight, nine hours from now. He had assigned them with tracking down and hiring a skilled and highly undetectable assassin that was known in the criminal community only by his moniker; the Wolf. If Lagoon Company could convince this assassin to come with them to the warehouse, Ulysses would explain the full details of the mission he was hiring them for. The thing that really swayed them was the money. They had never heard of this man before, yet he was evidently increasingly wealthy. He promised to pay each member of Lagoon five-hundred thousand American dollars for completing the job. Even in this business, that was an insane amount of money for one job. It sounded too good to be true. That was what had Rock worried. He would keep an eye on this Ulysses once they finally met in person. "All the guy told me was that this Wolf would be at the docks of this town today. He didn't tell me how he knew or why he wanted this guy."

"You don't know anything about him?" Rock asked. That didn't bode well. It seemed unlikely that a highly skilled assassin would take kindly to being ambushed by three strangers and asked to join an operation they knew little to nothing about.

"Just what you already know," Dutch emphasised. "He's dangerous and he's almost impossible to pin down. That was information enough for me." Dutch knew more than he was letting on, Rock could see it in his face.

"You must know _something_ else," he pushed. That was met with a few moments of stony silence.

"Nothing concrete," Dutch said, much to Rock's relief. "I've heard things, stories that I didn't really ever take seriously. People talk about the kind of killings this guy gets up to. He sounds like he means business, judging from what I've been told about him. He's not someone you want to fuck with. There's a reason they call him the Wolf. Or so I hear."

"Pffft, yeah, right!" Revy scoffed derisively. "He ain't shit. I bet anything he's some merc wannabe kid with a score to settle with somebody." Rock wasn't convinced. It was hard enough to carve out a reputation as a useful criminal these days, harder still to gain a reputation like the one Dutch just described. For people to be discussing this assassin in Roanapur when he had presumably never been there before meant that he was a seriously dangerous person. Rock was still largely unknown in the city, despite his many exploits and jobs with Lagoon Company. They were nearing the town up ahead now. Once they were there, it was straight to the docks to see if Ulysses's information was correct.

"Alright, keep your heads down, you two," Dutch ordered as he took a left turn and found himself bordered on one side by a fishing pier and on the other by a boathouse. "Let me do the talking." In actuality, there didn't seem to be much talking to be done. There was nobody around. Regardless, it seemed unlikely that this Wolf would be out in plain sight. Dutch turned the car off and got out, heading for the boathouse. Once he reached the door, he entered slowly, stepping out of sight.

"This is a damn waste of time, if you ask me," Revy growled. "Why the fuck does Ulysses need this guy anyway? We should be at that warehouse right now getting ready for this job of his."

"He probably needs all the help he can get," Rock suggested. "From what Dutch said, it sounds like this isn't going to be a regular job. It's going to be big."

"Yeah, well, we better get this cash he's offering," Revy told him. "If he's good for it, we won't have to work for months." Dutch emerged from the boathouse then. He re-entered the car, shaking his head.

"No sign," he told them firmly. "I counted six dead bodies. Two were drowned. The others had so many holes in their bodies I'm surprised there aren't pieces of them all over the place."

"So what now?" Revy asked, sitting up in her seat as if she had spontaneously attained some interest in the matter. "Doesn't sound like we can go back to this guy without Wolfy Boy."

"Those guys he killed weren't just your average thugs, they were professionals. If he's going anywhere, it'll be Roanapur. There aren't any cities as corrupt or secure for hundreds of miles. I'll bet my life he's gone there."

"So you're saying we fucking passed this shithead on the road?! Fuck me…" Rock shifted in his seat.

"Roanapur…yeah, makes sense," he agreed. "The one place he can go about his business relatively unhindered…"

"And the one place any of the dead guys' friends will be killed instantly if they try anything," Dutch added. "Smart move, Wolf." He started the car up again and took off towards Roanapur. This would be an interesting encounter.

Wolf gently opened the door of the bar, his dark green duffle bag still strapped around him. Almost everybody inside turned to look at him, trying so desperately to look past his sunglasses. He walked slowly towards the bar, his boots making a soft thump with each step. He finally took a seat at the bar.

"Yeah? What is it?" the bartender asked rudely.

"What do you have?"

"You blind, pal?! We have booze, take your pick."

"I'll have whatever's closest to you," he spoke in his soft Irish accent. "Don't strain yourself or anything." Bao, the bartender, shot daggers at this stranger before pouring him a generous shot of tequila. "This place…the Yellowflag…it looks a bit the worse for wear." That was an understatement. For anyone with keen eyes, there were remnants of bullet holes on almost every wall and the bar itself had recently repaired cracks throughout the dark wood.

"Yeah? So what?"

"Jesus, you're an unpleasant bastard, aren't ya?" Wolf spat, drinking down his tequila and pointing at the shot glass, signalling that he wanted another. Bao poured him his second shot.

"Well, what about you?" he asked. "What's your damned business here? I've never seen you around before." Wolf drank his second shot just as quickly as his first.

"Oh, well…I've got a few days to kill."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Hunted

They entered the Yellowflag just as the sun was setting, glancing around for any sign of trouble. There weren't many people in here now, only about five or six unknowns.

"We can't really afford to waste time," Dutch said assertively. "We won't stay long. I'll make a call and see if I can track this guy down." They slowly made their way towards the bar, only noticing now that there was a man seated there, looking none to pleasant. He had a matte black Desert Eagle holstered to his right leg and a duffle bag wrapped around him. Lagoon Company came to a halt when the man began to rise from his stool. Bao looked on with both curiosity and fear as the situation before him unfolded. It was now that Benny finally showed himself, rushing into the bar with his shirt buttoned halfway.

"Dutch, I got your call," he explained. "What's wrong?" The man at the bar turned to face them, adjusting the fur collar of his jacket. Studying them for a few moments, he reached for his gun and pointed it at them. Revy reciprocated, eager to riddle him with her Cutlasses. Only Rock heard the door creak open behind them, catching a momentary glance at the men that entered. They wore full body suits with armour padding and black cloth. Bao groaned in anticipation of what was to come.

"Try it, shithead," Revy taunted the man. He frowned beneath his sunglasses.

"Duck!" he commanded. Turning to spot the Yellowflag's new arrivals, Lagoon Company dropped to their knees. The man shot down two of the unknowns before taking cover behind a pillar. Lagoon did the same. The other criminals enjoying their drinks fled immediately.

"Wolf, I assume?" Dutch asked over the sound of gunfire, reaching for his pistol.

"The very same," Wolf answered. "What gave me away?" He jumped out from behind cover and took out two more of the hostiles before retreating to the pillar once more.

"You mind explaining who the fuck these guys are?" Dutch yelled, exploding the skull of one of their enemies with his own weapon.

"Don't know for sure. I pissed off a lot of people over the last few weeks. They're probably just mercenaries." Revy hopped up onto the bar, taking out five men easily before dropping to the ground and taking cover. She spotted Bao beside her, rolling her eyes.

"Goddammit, Revy!" he screamed. "Are you serious with this shit?! I'm getting real tired of you and your pals tearing up my bar!"

"To be fair, this time wasn't our fault, Bao!" she argued, gunning down one of the men that had tried to sneak up on them. There were about three of them left now. They wouldn't be too hard to dispatch. Wolf reached out and grabbed one by the throat, taking him hostage. Using the poor man as a human shield, he stepped out from behind cover and advanced on the remaining two men. He shot through his hostage, taking the three of them out at once. There was blood everywhere, matched only by the sheer destruction that had been done to the walls and ceiling of the bar. Bao stood up from behind his bar, surveying the scene before him with utter annoyance.

"Fuck…," he breathed with exasperation.

"You mind telling us what the fuck that was about?!" Revy exploded, holstering her guns. Wolf did the same.

"Easy," Dutch commanded. "I don't know who those guys were but I'm betting Ulysses does."

"Ulysses?" Wolf asked, understandably confused seeing as the statement was directed at him.

"The guy who hired us," he explained. "The guy who wants to hire you. He's got a job he wants done, told us to meet him at midnight. You coming?" The assassin seemed to mull it over for a few seconds.

"Couldn't hurt to meet with him," he surmised, following Lagoon Company out to their car. Dutch took off towards the north, heading in the direction of the warehouse he had been instructed to find.

"Bao's gotta be pissed right now," Benny piped up, examining the crumbling bar in the rear-view mirror. The bartender hadn't said a word as they left but there was no doubt that he was currently screaming to the heavens with rage.

"He'll be fine," Dutch assured him. "If this guy is as rich as he seems, we'll give him the bill. I'm sure he won't mind fixing that mess." The drive took less than an hour, which was lucky seeing as it was eleven at night. They pulled up to the warehouse. Armed guards patrolled the walls of the compound and large, wooden gates blocked the way. They were opened after a few uncertain moments. Dutch parked the car inside, just outside one of what was actually about five different warehouses. Armoured cars and masked men and women littered the compound. From the largest of the warehouses emerged a man of about six feet two inches in height. He wore a sleeveless leather waistcoat, combat pants and rusted dog tags around his neck. Lagoon Company and the Wolf exited the car and stood before this intimidating man. His dreadlocks were tied back behind his head, yet they swayed gently in the light breeze that blew through.

"Dutch, you came right on time," he spoke with an American accent. His voice was coarse and domineering. "And you brought friends this time. You all ready to get briefed?"

"Fucking-A, we're ready," Revy told him bluntly.

"Good," Ulysses replied, satisfied. "Let's just get one thing straight. In here, I'm in charge. This operation I'm about to outline is being overseen by me. If, after the briefing, you don't like the sound of the job, you're free to walk away. But you talk to anyone about the location of my compound or the details of the job, and I _will_ kill you. Understand?" Nobody answered for a few moments.

"Understood," Rock told him, much to Revy's chagrin.

"Alright, then. Follow me." He led them back into his warehouse. It was filled with computer screens, technicians, weapons and a rather grim looking cell to the right. Ulysses brought them to the corner room where he activated one of the computer screens. The image of a man appeared. None of them recognised him. "This is Alexander Petrovski. He's the leader of a prolific criminal organisation known as Hyperion. He makes his home on a ship that makes occasional trips from Roanapur to South Africa. I want you lot to find him. Commandeer his vessel and ask him about someone named Sif."

"Who's Sif?" Dutch asked.

"She is the reason you are all here today," Ulysses began. "The woman is a master of stealth and someone I've been after for a long time. Petrovski is an associate of hers, and someone who had sworn his allegiance to me a long time ago. But recent reports suggest he's been playing the double-agent and he feeds her information on my movements, hence the reason I can't get to her. I need you to make it clear that I won't tolerate this any longer. Find out what you can-bank details, safehouses, other associates-about Sif and then kill Alexander. I can't afford any loose ends." Surprised but eager to get moving, they prepared themselves.

"Is that all?" Dutch asked.

"For now," Ulysses told them. "Come back to me when it's done and I'll have details on the next part of your mission. I'm still waiting on the others."

"What others?" Wolf asked. Ulysses smiled.

"You didn't think you five were the only ones I hired, do you? I have a lot of people to track down and so many places to secure. I can't do that alone so here we are."

"Who else did you hire?" Revy asked.

"Well, damn! Fancy seeing you guys here," came the unmistakably irritating voice that made Revy grit her teeth. Eda walked up behind them with Sister Yolanda in tow. "You got dragged into this shitstorm too, huh?"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Let it Feast

He knelt there, the rain thundering down upon him as he looked incredulously at the scene before him. The pitter-patter of the rain against the leather of his jacket rang out across the courtyard. It mingled with the blood that stained his skin and clothes. It was one thing to be trained how to kill, quite another to actually take a life. The killer had come at him with a knife, Rick did not know what else to do. He had disarmed the man and before he knew it, used his own knife against him and slit his throat. Now, he was dead in a pool of snot and blood. If he wasn't so inconceivably shocked right now, Rick would have openly wept at his actions. It was his first kill. The first human being he had been hired to assassinate and his mind could not handle it. It was an indescribably feeling, taking someone's life for the first time. He did not know how to feel, what to do. The man's blood slowly dribbled from his face to gather in a murky pool below him. For all he knew, the now dead 'Jacob Cole' wasn't a bad man. Rick had been given minimalistic details when his client hired him. All he knew was that Jacob had no family or friends. Judging from how he had pulled a knife as soon as he saw Rick, it was safe to assume that he was expecting trouble. Still, that did not erase the fact that this was a human life that had been taken. He shakily rose to his feet, deathly pale and shivering from the cold, despite his layers. The cheap Glock in his hand slipped from his gloved fingers and plunged into the pasty mud below. It would remain there for years, as would Jacob's body. Rick left the area as quickly as he could, heading back to his apartment on foot. Immediately going to the bathroom, he vomited. It would take some time before he was ready to cope with this.

"How do you like our boat?" Dutch asked Wolf as they prepared to take off in search of this Alexander Petrovski.

"Nice rig," Wolf answered as the other members of Lagoon Company boarded. Dutch laughed.

"It'll get us where we're going better than most other 'rigs' anyway," he claimed. "Why don't you set up camp down in one of the cabins? We usually keep cargo there but it should be empty enough for you."

"Sounds alright," Wolf agreed. Making his way to the cabin, he discovered it was, quite literally, used for cargo. The lock was on the outside and the only chair was flimsy and foldable. Regardless, it would do the job. He dropped his duffle bag in the corner and took a seat, disassembling and cleaning his Desert Eagle. Once the boat took off, Rock showed his face. He entered the room apprehensively.

"Hey. Dutch says we'll be on the water for about three hours, at least." Wolf nodded.

"Thanks, kid," he said. Rock looked as though he had more to say. "Don't look so scared, I don't bite. Despite the name." That provoked a stifled laugh from the young, out-of-place looking man at least. He entered the cabin and took a seat opposite the assassin.

"Sorry," he apologised. "You have to admit, I can't be blamed for being cautious. We don't know anything about you."

"I couldn't agree more. You need to be comfortable with who's under your roof. But I have no problem with you guys and I'm being paid to work with you. So relax, we're on the same team." He removed his sunglasses and dropped them into the duffle bag, revealing his warm, brown eyes. He did not look like so many of the stonehearted killers Rock had encountered before. And yet, the vibe he gave off, the subtle changes in his facial expressions spoke volumes about his ruthlessness.

"That's a relief," Rock told him. The mysterious assassin squinted then as he looked Rock up and down.

"So what's your story?" he asked. "Don't take this the wrong way, but you don't look like you belong with these others. You seem…I dunno, like you should be leading a better life. How'd you end up with this life?" Rock had been asking himself that for a long time now.

"Good question," he said dryly. "It's a long story. I just sort of ended up with them. I was as good as dead with my old company. A corporate hive of scum that didn't care about who they stepped on to get what they wanted. Lagoon Company just…seemed like the right move. I've been with them ever since." Wolf nodded. Rock was edging closer and closer every day to plummeting off the edge and falling to the darkness. The assassin recognised the journey all too well. He had spent the last three years trying to forget the day he became consumed by the criminal life.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" he asked. "This…life? These choices?" Surprisingly, Rock actually seemed to consider this question for a moment. But it was likely futile. He was too deep in, too attached to his colleagues. He would one day lose himself to the shadows whether he wanted to or not.

"Well…I-"

"Rock!" came Revy's irritated voice from the doorway. "What are you doing down here? Dutch wants you up top." Obediently, Rock rose from the rickety seat and left the cabin. Revy eyed Wolf threateningly before entering the cabin and taking the seat he had just been in.

"So what's your deal, huh?"

"Excuse me?"

"This little chit-chat with Rock, that whole shootout at the Yellowflag," she spat. "Not to mention you've had this dumb fucking attitude ever since we found you." Wolf began reassembling his gun steadily.

"Look, I don't know what your problem is," he began quietly, "but we're on the same damn side, right? Might as well try and get along."

"Fuck that! If you want to arrange playdates with the others, you go right ahead. But watch your ass when I'm around, you hear?" Wolf stopped dead then, slowly raising his eyes to stare at her. He did not blink, nor did he move.

"You need to relax," he told her. She didn't like that at all, judging from how her hands were now inches from her Cutlasses. Wolf finished putting his Desert Eagle back together before holstering it boldly. "What's _your_ deal, Revy? Huh? Is it Rock? Does it bother you that I'm having a civil conversation with him? Because it seems like that's not something you're capable of." Revy's mouth pulled back in a sort of growl as she shot up from her chair and grabbed one of her guns, pointing it at Wolf. He stood also.

"You shut your stinking mouth!" she spat. "I swear, I'll put a fucking bullet in your brain." As brazen as ever, he grabbed the Cutlass and pointed it at his forehead. Little did Revy know that his finger now blocked the hammer. If she pulled the trigger, no bullet would leave the gun. Wolf was more interested in seeing how volatile she was, how much of a detriment she would be to the mission if she lost her head so easily.

"Well, shit, now's your best fucking chance!" he exclaimed. "Go on, gun me down right here if you're up to it." He definitely felt pressure being applied to the trigger. Deciding against that move at the last second, she pulled her gun from his grasp, holstered it and stormed out. "Goddamn."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Break

"Heard Revy gave you a hard time down below," Dutch said as Wolf entered the control room. That was one hell of an understatement.

"She's kind of a hothead, isn't she?" Dutch simply smirked. That, too, was underplaying it a bit. "What's the deal with her and…Eda, was it? That was a weird encounter back at Ulysses's warehouse."

"Damn, you've really never been to Roanapur, have you?" Dutch asked. "It must look like quite the shithole to you, then."

"I've been to worse places," Wolf claimed coyly, taking a seat beside the captain. Dutch scoffed.

"I doubt it. Those two girls have a weird relationship. I wouldn't look too much into it."

"What was Eda doing at the compound?" Wolf asked, interested to know as many details about the job as possible, including all those involved.

"She's with the Rip-off Church," Dutch explained. "They smuggle weapons and drugs in and out of the city. Assuming Ulysses isn't one to snort a line of cocaine every now and then, I assume that's where he gets his firepower from." He was a smart man. He paid well, which was incentive enough to attract criminals from all over the city. On top of that, he hired the best from different parts of the city for different reasons, stocking up on weapons and fortifying his compound while other agents, such as Lagoon Company, were out doing his dirty work. He certainly knew how to get the job done. It remained to be seen what interest he had in Sif and her operation, whatever it was. There was obviously more to it than what he had told them. Dutch was never one to pry. He preferred to do the job, get paid and never look back. Wolf, on the other hand, had not accepted a job in over two years without knowing almost every singly minute detail about his target and their associates. This was breaking his record. "You might as well go talk to Benny," Dutch suggested after a minute's silence. "He's out on deck." Clearly, he wanted to be left alone.

"If he's anything like Revy, I think I'd rather keep my brain where it is." Dutch laughed softly at that. Still, Wolf decided to leave him in peace and get some fresh air. It had been a long time since he had been on a boat. He had almost forgotten the smell of the saltwater, the almost out-of-body sensation of the jittery boat.

"How's the sea treating ya?" Benny asked. Wolf had almost forgotten he was there, having almost lost himself in the strange peacefulness of the swaying ocean waves.

"Better than most, I imagine," he replied jokingly. "Lot of people I've been with at sea have gotten sick in the first hour."

"But you're not 'a lot of people'," Benny surmised. The assassin smirked.

"No, I'm not."

"So what are you, exactly? I can't put a pin on it. You don't strike me as being a typical criminal. Roanapur spits out most of those. But you're…different. Almost more towards me and Rock's side of life. Except you use a gun." Wolf scanned Benny momentarily. He was a kind man, one who he theorised was not as hardened or callous as Dutch and Revy. Indeed, He and Rock were very similar and neither held a gun. It was possible they did not even know how to use one. This Lagoon Company really was a mismatched group of outlaws. As he prepared to give Benny an answer, he spotted something in the distance, something approaching at immense speed.

"Hold that thought," he said, turning to return to the captain. Revy and Rock appeared also. "Dutch, we got three boats approaching from the east."

"Keep them off me," he commanded. "We're close to Petrovski's yacht, according to the scanner. They're probably his goons." Revy and Wolf both readied their weapons while Benny and Rock crouched down, taking cover where they could.

"You ready for this?" Wolf asked. Though he was joking, the question was intended to annoy Revy, a decision he was not sure was the wisest.

"Kiss my ass," she spat charmingly.

"Damn, at least buy me a drink first," he grumbled beneath his breath, but not so quiet so she couldn't hear. With that spectacularly terrible joke out of the way, he opened fire on the first of the three boats. Revy waited until the second was close enough before making the jump across to it and decimating those aboard. They were dead in seconds. The mercenaries from the third boat boarded the Black Lagoon, then, sure that they would succeed in killing those aboard. Wolf took out two, Revy another three. Only one remained. Knocking the gun from his hand with a deft backhand, Wolf send brutish punches into the man's abdomen. The melee fight that ensued was brutal. Wolf's blows were heavy and unyielding, a savage level of combat that had been designed to do one thing; kill. The assassin blocked and countered the few hits his opponent tried to land with a level of skill that could only be acquired through intense professional training. The fight ended when Wolf planted his right fist into the man's throat, killing him instantly.

"Fuck…," Revy breathed, genuinely surprised by the level of brutality Wolf was capable of.

"Is that the last of them?" Dutch called.

"Looks like it," Revy answered, scanning the horizon for more boats. There were none. They all gathered around Dutch, then.

"We're close, now," he told them. "There's only one vessel out here for a hundred miles and it's a yacht that looks like it's headed towards South Africa. That's got to be our man." They were sure of it. Once they got this business over with, they could return to Ulysses and hopefully get more answers out of him. Wolf, at least, was eager to know who this Sif was and what importance she had to Ulysses and his agenda. Rock, too, would have preferred if the enigmatic client had trusted them with the details. Still, such was the way of crime, as it always had been in Roanapur.

"Let's get to it," Revy proclaimed eagerly, ready to find out what they could from this Alexander Petrovski. The rest of the journey went smoothly. The night was approaching fast, now. That was good. They would work better under the cover of darkness, considering they planned to take out Alexander's guards first before interrogating the man himself.

"So how blind are we going into this?" Rock asked, approaching the Wolf on deck. He lit a cigarette, offering one to the silent assassin.

"I don't smoke," he clarified, refusing the cigarette. "And very blind, to answer your question. Ulysses didn't give us much to go. 'Find out what you can', what kind of a vague-ass instruction is that? I don't like this."

"I suppose we should have expected this," Rock said sullenly. "Considering how well the job pays, it makes sense that we'd be going into it knowing basically nothing while being pursued by unknown enemies." Wolf scoffed more derisively than he should have.

"Well, fuck it," he grumbled. "The sooner we get this over with, the better. The longer I'm on this job, the more uneasy I feel about it."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Tensions Rise

"Back to Roanapur it is, then," Dutch surmised, exiting the yacht and joining Revy and Wolf once more. The three of them had searched the boat thoroughly. There was nobody on-board. Either they had discovered the Black Lagoon coming for them and they immediately left on smaller boats, or they had been warned by a mole in Ulysses's operation. Neither scenario was too comforting. "Don't know how the boss is going to react."

"Screw him," Revy said. She was none too pleased at the wild goose chase they had been sent on, despite the fact that Ulysses couldn't have known. "He wants to waste our fucking time, he can shove his job up his ass." They returned to the boat and turned around, bound for home. There was no telling where they would go from here. Ulysses would probably just send them after another lead, one that could possibly escape like Petrovski had. If so, they would need to have a chat with the mysterious client.

"Revy says there was nobody aboard?" Rock asked as he ventured into the cabin below deck.

"She's not wrong," Wolf agreed, setting down his equipment. He now had a grisly knife that could almost be described as a sword strapped to his back. Rock was sure he had been trained to kill in all manner of unpleasant ways. He hoped he would never see that sword in action. "Waste of time, coming out here."

"What do we do now?" Rock asked, taking a seat and lighting up a cigarette. The assassin didn't appreciate the second-hand smoke but this was Lagoon Company's boat. He would not presume to tell them what to do.

"Nothing else we can do," he answered bleakly. "We'll head back. It's late, there's nothing more we can do tonight. We'll rest up and get back to it in the morning." That idea appealed to Rock. He was sick of this job already. Something told him it would get far worse before it got better. He was not eager to witness the carnage that would ensue once they locked horns with Sif and her organisation. The journey back was shorter than when they made their way to the yacht, despite the fact that it felt as though they were on the water for years. They docked and made their way to the compound. Ulysses was inside the briefing room, examining the image of Petrovski. Several schematics and blueprints were scattered across the table.

"What news?" he asked as Dutch entered, followed closely by the others.

"There was no sign," he explained, much to the shock of Ulysses.

"What do you mean?"

"The fuck do you think he means?!" Revy snapped. "The guy was gone, his yacht was a damn ghost ship!"

"He knew we were coming," Dutch concluded. Ulysses put his hand on his forehead and sighed deeply. This had been unexpected, apparently.

"I don't understand," he mused. "He had no other vessels with him, no equipment. There was no way-"

"Sir!" came the voice of one of the soldiers outside. "We've got hostiles!" The sound of gunfire met their ears. As they exited the warehouse, a truck barrelled through the gate and came to a halt. Easily fifteen armed mercenaries emerged from the back and opened fire.

"The yacht was a damn decoy!" Ulysses spat, the realisation sweeping over him. Their patience running out, Dutch, Revy and Wolf took their weapons in hand and gunned down as many of the enemies as they could. As if one truck wasn't enough, a second tore through the wall as if it were made of paper. Despite the fact that Ulysses had at least fifty people on his side in the compound, the thirty enemies were highly trained and well-armed. They did not go down easy. Dutch opted to take cover and take them down, quite prolifically, with his Magnum. Revy, as devil-may-care as ever, took off straight into the fray of enemies, riddling the hostiles with bullets and ducking behind cover when the need arose. Wolf used his Desert Eagle to send his foes plummeting to the ground with ease, though the loudness of the weapon attracted much attention and he was forced to take cover and grab one of the mercenaries to use as a human shield, once again. Within minutes, with the combined combat prowess of Ulysses's soldiers, Lagoon Company, Wolf and Eda, the enemies were cut down. Wolf reloaded his gun and ventured over to one of the trucks. Cautiously opening the back of it, he spotted none other than Alexander Petrovski.

"You little shit!" he growled as he grabbed the man and threw him to the ground, sending a calculated punch into the back of his head.

"Take him inside," Ulysses ordered. He was treated roughly, being dragged through the mud and thrown into the interrogation room. Here, they handcuffed his hands to a chair and examined him from the other side of a two-way mirror. They would get the information from him one way or another.

"What do you want to do with him?" Dutch asked. Unsure, Ulysses thought it over for a few moments. He was torn between keeping him here overnight and coming back in the morning or interrogating him right now.

"Let's take the next couple of days," he suggested. "I'm going to let him suffer in there, cold and hungry. We'll get our information later in the week."

"That's it?" Revy asked, disappointed. "We have him, why not just do this now?"

"I have other things to attend to," Ulysses explained. "Petrovski can wait." With that, he turned and left them. "Feel free to have a look around. Just don't touch anything." They didn't see much point in staying. Instead, they got in their car and left, bound for home.

"I doubt you've got anywhere better to be?" Dutch asked, directing his question at the Wolf. The latter smirked.

"I doubt it," he answered slyly. "Not in this city, anyway."

"You'll be sleeping on a couch, if that's alright. Got few enough beds as it is."

"Sure thing." He had slept on far worse before. As soon as they entered the apartment, Revy planted herself on one of the couches, face down. They were all exhausted, having gone quite a while without getting sleep. The other three got beers from the fridge. Rock threw one to Wolf.

"It's not the best tasting, but it does the job." Wolf laughed.

"Thanks."

"What a shitty day," Dutch exhaled.

"You said it, Dutch," Benny agreed. Most jobs they took on would only last a day or two, perhaps a week. This one seemed as though it would be keeping them occupied for the next few weeks, at least. That idea didn't seem too appealing. Still, the payment was what had them all motivated. When Ulysses called on them, they would be ready. For now, they had a couple of days to kill. Even that detail was strange to them. Taking time off in the middle of a job was uncommon. Still, they would not argue.

"I'll tell you something," Dutch began as he snatched up the remote and turned on the television, "that was some nice shooting, Wolf. Quite the display."

"Thanks," the bafflingly modest assassin muttered. "Not too shabby, eh?"

"Not too shabby," Dutch agreed. "I'm just glad you're on our side." And he would remain on their side. Despite the fact that the only reason he was here right now was because he had been hired for a job, he found that he quite liked Lagoon Company. Well, most of them, anyway. Revy still gave off a vibe of displeasure and contempt anytime she was near him. It seemed unlikely that she would ever get on with him.

"Looks like you're going to be hanging around here for a while," Benny added. "Anything you want to share with us?"

"Oh, come on!" Revy yelled, sitting up in the couch. "What's with the group therapy session?" That provoked a laugh from each of them.

"And on that note, I'm going sleep," Wolf told them. If that didn't cement the fact that Revy didn't like him, nothing would.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Corruption Spreading

"Whatever," Revy mumbled, her head propped on her left hand. She was listening to Rock ramble on about this business with Ulysses, though she didn't much care. The café they were sitting at wasn't too crowded. On their day off, they weren't sure exactly where else to go, especially seeing as how Dutch and Wolf had gone to the Rip-off Church to acquire a shipment of weapons.

"You don't seem very interested," Rock noticed at last.

"Really? What was your first clue?" she asked sarcastically. Rock sighed, followed by an extended silence broken only by the Japanese man sipping at his tea.

"So…what's the deal with you and your new pet?" Revy asked at last.

"Huh?"

"Old Wolfy Boy. You two getting along nicely?" Rock set his tea down and cleared his throat.

"I knew you didn't like him," he said.

"He's just full of shit," Revy claimed. "We should have just left him at the Yellowflag."

"I think there's more to it," Rock began. If this was like any past conversations where Rock challenged her authority, it would end with his nose broken or a bullet somewhere in his body. "I think you're threatened by him."

"Hah! Try again."

"No, I think so. It's happened before. Roberta, Eda, Ginji…all of them were exceptional fighters. And all of them were challenged by you at some point. You have this excessive need to take out anyone as or more powerful than you. Wolf is just another name on the list."

"Shut it, Rock!" Revy snarled, standing up from her seat and glaring into Rock's unwavering eyes. Noticing the attention she was attracting, she took a seat once more. "You don't know what the fuck you're talking about." Rock decided to leave it alone. If he pressed the matter further, she may not be so willing to sit back down. A confrontation between her and Wolf was more than likely inevitable. Rock just hoped it didn't end with one of them dead. "Goddammit, what's taking Ulysses so long to call us back?" she exploded out of nowhere. "He can't be that damn busy."

"We'll get the call," Rock assured her. "They'll interrogate Alexander and get the information. After that, they can kill him and be done with it." Revy's eyes flashed forward to land on the uncharacteristically violence-condoning Rock. She didn't like when he got like that. When they first met, Rock was this whiny, frightened little kid, a pathetic excuse for a member of Lagoon Company. Recently, he'd been succumbing more and more to the corruption of her world. It pissed her off to see that.

"The fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"Well, we won't have any more use for him…right? After we get the information, he's just dead weight."

"Stop it, Rock!" The normally timid man shot up from his seat then and slammed his fists down on the table.

"No, _you_ stop, Revy!" he roared at her, his voice becoming gradually louder with each word. "I don't know what it is in your head that makes you feel the need to control me, but it needs to stop! You once said I wasn't cut out for this line of work. And it scares you that I'm becoming more suited to this world. Well, too bad, Revy! Why don't you worry about your own life for a change and keep your nose out of mine?!" Rock was the type of person to remain calm and collected, keeping his anger and fear bottled up or suppressed. When it came out, it came with a vengeance. It would more than likely be his undoing one day. Revy kicked the table over, dragged Rock over to her by his tie and punched him square in the face, breaking his nose.

"How fucking dare you!" she growled at him. Seemingly at a loss for words, she turned and left him there, curled into a ball on the ground. That certainly could have gone better. As he waited for the pain to subside, he called Dutch for a ride. Revy more than likely took the car and left him there. There was no way he was walking back. Ten minutes later, Wolf drove up on his own. Rock stumbled over to the car and got in, wiping blood away from his face. Wolf just stared at him with unblinking confusion and slight amusement.

"Who were you with?" he asked.

"Ugh! Revy," the bloodied man answered, still in pain.

"She lose her shit like this often?"

"More than you'd think." Wolf chuckled heartily.

"Oh, I dunno. I think she'd lose it quite a bit." He turned around and took off towards home. The journey would not take that long. If Revy was there, it would be painfully awkward to face her.

"The fuck did you say to her, man? I mean, granted, the first day I met her she put a gun to my head but still. Looks like you really pissed her off." Slowly, Rock roughly outlined what their conversation had been about, embellishing some of the details about his outburst. As he finished, Wolf nodded understandingly.

"Well, I know you probably don't want to hear it right now but she's not wrong. Life is shitty, Rock. And it's even shittier when you do what we do. It might make sense to dedicate yourself to this life, to give in to the corruption…but it's not. Believe me. Don't lose yourself to the darkness." Rock simply frowned at that, more annoyed that the assassin hadn't really provided any useful advice, at least in his eyes.

"What makes you so qualified to tell me this?" he questioned. "You and me…we're nothing alike. You're just like all the others." Surprisingly, Wolf almost looked hurt for a moment before resuming his stony expression.

"Easy, Mister Business," he mocked. "I'm more like you than you might know. I'm not going to break your nose to make you see it, but…think about it." They did not speak for a few moments. "Ah, I don't mean to be talking shit to you like this. Fuck it, forget what I said if it makes you feel any better. You think that lad at the Yellowflag will serve us?" Rock couldn't help but laugh at that.

"I doubt it," he said. "You did wreck his bar."

"And if he gives me any more cheek, I'll wreck his face."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Storm's Coming

Revy was acting surprisingly normal when Rock entered the room. Despite their argument at the café, she was acting as if nothing had changed. That was good, considering. They would need her at her best when Ulysses called. Dutch came in a few minutes later.

"You four look like shit," he said, commenting more on the lackadaisical manner and bored expressions the others bore than anything else. Rock was washing his face in the sink in an attempt to rid himself of the dried blood and grime that stained his skin.

"Any word from Ulysses?" asked Benny as he haphazardly flicked through the channels on the television.

"Nothing," Dutch told them, unmistakable disappointment in his voice. "At this rate, we won't hear from him until the weekend."

"Ugh!" grunted Revy, turning over to plant her face in the soft fabric of the couch.

"On the bright side, Sister Yolanda fixed me up with a few crates of weapons and ammo." Not that they really needed it, but it never hurt to be prepared for the worst. Dutch lit a cigarette and took a seat over by the open window, looking out upon the streets of Roanapur. Rock skulked out of the room to use the shower. He still stunk from his tussle with Revy earlier. Even his shirt had stains of red and brown. As he turned the water on and let it drizzle over him, drenching his hair and washing away the grime, he thought about earlier. First, his mind went to the café. That outburst was something that had truthfully been a long time coming. In the early days, Revy would tease him a lot about not being cut out for working in Roanapur with the Lagoon Company. Recently, when he began showing signs that perhaps he was, she berated him and took it upon herself to deter him from the corruption. Frankly, he just lost his patience with her. He didn't know what she wanted from him. She was a complex and unique individual who had gone through her fair share of pain and torment. It would be a long time before he fully understood her. Wolf, on the other hand, was another matter entirely. Rock did believe there was good deep down beneath that ruthless exterior. The assassin may not have been as bad as he seemed, but he certainly had the potential and will to prove otherwise. His words in the car were genuinely an attempt to save Rock from the darkness. But it had come to a point where Rock no longer wanted to be saved. It wasn't worth it, going through this day after day only to feel it tear away at his soul piece by piece. If he succumbed to the darkness, truly let himself be at the mercy of corruption, he would be better off. It would make this life so much easier. There would be no more needless suffering, no more moral greyness. The time was coming soon when he would complete his journey to the other side. When that day came, he feared what the others would think of him. Especially Revy. Whatever feelings she harboured, whatever reasons she had for acting the way she did, it would drive her over the edge to see him like that.

"You about done in there?" came Revy's voice from behind him. Wiping the trickling water from his eyes and turning to peer through the steam, he saw she wore only her underwear and a towel around her neck. He grabbed his own towel, now hanging just beside him from the shower wall. Wrapping it around his waist as he stepped out from under the water, he nodded.

"It's all yours," he told her. Drying himself off and dressing once more, he returned hurriedly to the living room. It was just Wolf and Benny now. They were playing cards.

"Where's Dutch?"

"His room," Benny answered. "Not big on cards, apparently."

"Never stopped him before," Rock reminded him.

"I know. He's distracted. This business has everyone on edge."

"And you?" Benny scoffed.

"I don't see what all the fuss is about. Just another job, as far as I'm concerned." Rock took a seat beside Wolf and set his gaze on the television screen again. As usual, nothing interesting was happening. Despite their contract with Ulysses, the rest of the city was still rather devoid of work.

"Aha! Got you again," Benny exclaimed gleefully.

"Fuck this game," cursed the assassin, throwing his cards on the floor. Benny looked delighted with himself as he snatched up the bills from the table. Rock hadn't realised they were playing for money.

"Don't worry," Benny falsely consoled him, "once we get paid for this job you can play me again. There'll be a whole lotta money on the table then."

"Damn," Wolf breathed, actually tempted. Rock found his mind wandering then, dwelling on what would happen once their business was concluded. What would they do? They certainly would not need to work for money, at least not for a while. Lagoon Company would probably just live their lives, as bored as ever, in Roanapur. Hotel Moscow would likely give them some low-risk jobs just to keep them occupied once things picked up again. Wolf would either remain and search in futility for work in the city, or he would leave and go back home. But that was a while away yet. There was no point thinking about that now. Rock put his feet up on the table and laid back into the couch. He would relax in his home while he had the chance.

"So you made your first kill," Amelia said quietly, her eyes on Rick. The now-official assassin sat silent on his couch, unsure how to respond. "Come on, don't look so down. I trained you for this. Two years of martial arts, weapon training and military obstacle courses. You might feel like shit now…but fuck it, you're going to be something! Fast forward a couple of years and people are going to know you. You're going to make a name for yourself, you'll be something to fear." Rick was not so easily convinced.

"I just…killed him," he wheezed. "I can't get that image out of my head. And every time I close my eyes, I can taste his blood…I can feel _pain_ inside me." Amelia joined him on the couch, putting her arm around him affectionately.

"Look, I know this isn't easy," she began, her voice oddly soothing, "but it'll get easier. I'm here for you. You're gonna be fucking rich! If you need to talk, you have my number." She kissed him on the cheek before rising and starting from the door. "Trust me, we're going to do great things together. In time, you'll thank me. When I took you in, you were young and hopeful. You wanted to learn the craft. And learn you will." She opened the door and prepared to leave.

"Wait…," Rick called hoarsely. "You won't abandon me, will you? You won't leave me?" Amelia smiled warmly.

"Of course not," she assured him. "I'd never throw you to the wolves."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Run With Darkness

"Why the fuck did you get us up so early, Dutch?" complained Revy, buckling her belt and falling into the couch. They had all been gathered in the living room. None of them looked too pleased to be awake at this unreasonable hour, especially Revy. The sun had not even risen yet.

"Got a call," Dutch explained. "Ulysses got information out of the Russian. He wants us at the compound in an hour. Sounds like he's got work for us." They couldn't complain about that. All they had been doing these last couple of days was waiting for a call from Ulysses. Now that they finally had a reason to leave the apartment, now that there was work to be done, they were pleased. "Get your gear together. We're leaving in five." As it happened, they didn't have much to bring. Revy's Cutlasses were already holstered under each arm any of Wolf's belongings that weren't already strapped to him in some way already were in the duffle bag that hung from his torso. The rest of them didn't need much. Dutch brought his Magnum. It was all he needed. They departed immediately, arriving at the surprisingly quiet compound. Ulysses's soldiers were apparently sleeping. That was predictable, given the time. They made their way into the warehouse as soon as they arrived, only stopping for a second when they noticed the chopper land in the middle of the compound. Ulysses greeted them inside.

"Good, you've arrived," he said, sending the woman he was speaking with away with a simple wave of his hand. "You saw the helicopter outside?"

"How could we miss it?" Wolf asked, scratching his beard. Ulysses grunted.

"Well, I need three of you on it," he instructed. "Petrovski gave up the location of one of Sif's military bases. I want you to go there and infiltrate the place. If Sif is there, bring her back alive." That seemed simple enough. "So…who's up for it?" Considering Rock and Benny weren't suited to combat, it made sense that they stay behind and the others go in the chopper. As such, that was suggested to Ulysses. "Perfect. I have a job for you two anyway. The pilot knows the route. Report back as soon as you can." Dutch, Revy and Wolf headed for the door. "Hold on, assassin. I need a word." He did as he was told.

"What's wrong?" Ulysses produced a file from his jacket and handed it to him.

"I know it must be annoying to work with so few details," he said. "Especially for you. This is a file on Sif. You in particular might have some questions for her." As cryptic as ever, he turned and brought Benny and Rock to a control room. Wolf joined the others, then. The chopper took off and headed north, bound for one of the many rainforests there. Wolf took a seat opposite the others. He was tentative to open the file. There was a sneaking suspicion he had, a fleeting idea of what it might contain. He wasn't sure he wanted to know. Knowing the journey ahead would easily take over an hour, he gave in and pried apart the cover of the file. Sif's image was incredibly blurry, not to mention colourless. He could not quite make out her face. But what he feared he would see caught his eye. Most of it was trivial, useless information about her exploits, criminal activities and associates. One line, however, caught his eye. He closed the file shut as soon as he read that.

"You alright?" Dutch asked. Shrugging off the feeling that swept over him, he gestured to the thin papers in his hand.

"Sif's file," he explained. "Ulysses gave it to me on the way out, figured we'd want to know more about her. I wasn't sure he'd do us the courtesy." Revy reached for the file greedily, opening it so she and Dutch could get a look at it.

"Anything useful?" he asked, his eyes on the assassin opposite.

"Nothing, really," he lied. "Boring stuff." Though Lagoon Company's leader wore sunglasses that constantly blocked his eyes from view, Wolf could feel the man's gaze on him, unwavering. He knew there was more to it. "There's still one thing he didn't tell us, though. Why he wants her. What she is to him."

"I don't like this," Dutch mused, setting the file down. "He gives us this to sate our appetite while keeping the important stuff secret. Just what is he hiding?" An incessant, piercing noise reached their ears all of a sudden as red lights began flashing. Just as Wolf came to his feet, he was engulfed by vibrant orange flames. When he awoke, all he felt was pain and heat. It took him several seconds before he could muster the energy to open his eyes. Pieces of the chopper were strewn all around and several trees had been knocked. Revy was only just rising, too.

" .Fuck!" Wolf exclaimed in an attempted scream. He shook the ash and cinders from his hair before going to Revy. Apart from a few cuts and scrapes, she appeared none the worse for wear.

"What just happened?!" she asked irritably, reaching for her Cutlasses.

"They shot us down," the assassin deduced. "They damn well shot us out of the air!"

"Goddamn. Feels like the worst hangover ever." Wolf checked the rest of the wreckage for Dutch and the pilot. There was no sign. Judging from the bloodied and damaged flight helmet, however, it could safely be assumed that the pilot had been killed.

"So…what do we do now?" Revy asked, sounded less than pleased about being stuck with the Wolf. He checked to see if his knife and Desert Eagle were still intact. They were. That was good. If they ran into trouble, he wanted to be able to defend himself.

"We keep north," he suggested. "If Dutch is anywhere, he'll probably be at Sif's base."

"Or he'll follow the smoke right here to us," Revy countered. That was a good point.

"We can't just sit around here. Whoever shot us down is going to be on their way to make sure we died in the crash. The best thing we can do is look around for Dutch and see if he's safe." Reluctant but left with no alternative, Revy agreed. They stuck close together as they scouted the surrounding area. If the two or three trails of smoke in the distant sky were anything to go on, other pieces of the chopper had been strewn across the jungle. If Dutch was alive, he would be close. Even with the burly man out there alone, they could not afford to be out here too long. The people that shot them down would more than likely be searching for them right now. They needed to hurry. Their only chance of escape would be any vehicles that would be at Sif's base. One way or another, that was where they would go. As thorough as their search was, there was no sign of Dutch. He could well be anywhere within a three hundred mile radius. But they could not give up. He had to be around somewhere.

"You're playing a dangerous game, Wolf" Revy piped up as they trudged through a thick, muddy stream.

"How's that?" he asked, anticipating another spat.

"I saw that look on your face when you read that file," she explained slowly, as though to rub it in that she knew he had a secret. "You saw something that scared you. Couldn't tell what it was myself. But, hey, I figure you can clue me in." He heard her cock her weapons behind him. Sure enough, when he turned around, she had both Cutlasses pointed right at his chest.

"Christ, everything is just shoot first with you, isn't it?"

"Don't fuck around, Wolfy Boy. I know there's something you aren't telling us. And if you get me or Dutch killed because of this, you _will_ regret it." As determined as he was to be civil with Revy, Wolf found his hand twitching, inches from his own gun. It would be so easy to just whip his Desert Eagle from its holster and gun her down. So simple to just…

"Well, shit, don't do our jobs for us." The voice belonged to a hulking man who, up until now, had been camouflaged into the long grass. He stood now, his rifle pointed at Revy. Three others dressed just like him showed themselves also. "Looks like we got ourselves a couple of Ulysses's gutter rats. Take them."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: New World Order

"I'd just like to point out that this is all your fault," Wolf accused her, his voice bouncing off the cold stone walls of the dimly lit room they had been confined to. While their weapons had been taken, they had not been restrained.

"My fault?!" Revy's voice was like a knife as it cut through the air with dangerous ferocity. "Don't you fucking try and pin this on me!"

"Oh, I'm not. I have no doubt in my mind your stupid fucking antics out there in the woods alerted these boyos to our location!" It was at this point that Revy lost it. She sent her fist towards Wolf's face. He was quick enough to block it. Revy continued her assault with an unhindered kick to the stomach. Taken aback but ready to fight, Wolf two consecutive hooks into the woman's abdomen, slightly winding her for a moment until she countered with a resounding backhand. The two of them pounded on one another violently, sending blood and spit flying to the ground. Neither of them noticed the heavy steel door of the room fly open.

"I wasn't sure if you two were gonna fuck or fight when we locked you in here," the bearded man in the doorway said gleefully. "Looks like it was the latter." The two of them both bore bruises on their faces, not to mention the hits their bodies had taken. Revy's exposed belly showed signs of damage already. Two more men in full military gear entered the room and restrained them. "Well, you two are quite the pair of troublemakers, aren'tcha? Boss wanted me to have a word. She really does not appreciate you killing her people." His gaze fell specifically on Revy now. They did not like that glint in his eyes. "And _you_ are a beauty. Damn! Looks like we bagged ourselves a hell of a prize, boys." He strode over closer, placing a firm hand on her shoulder. Had she not been restrained, she would most certainly have killed him by now. His hand slipped down her arm and stopped at her shorts. He attempted to unbuckle her belt.

"Get the FUCK away from me!" Revy screamed, struggling violently now but unable to escape her restraint. Wolf could feel the arms that kept him at bay loosening now. Seizing the opportunity, he sent his elbow into the man's chest, causing him to cough violently. Wasting no time, the assassin took the soldier's gun, shot him at point-blank range and took out the second man restraining Revy. The bearded man that would have raped her had no action been taken backed up against the wall now, afraid for his life. As easy as it would have been to gun him down, Wolf did not. His punishment must be more severe.

"No, no, no," he pleaded as Wolf advanced on him. "Just hold on a sec, we can-" Before the assassin could do anything, Revy was already beating the twisted excuse for a man viciously. She did not stop or yield, not even when tears streamed down his face and he pleaded for mercy, claiming he had a family to go home to. When she was done, exposed bone could be seen through the mush of his ruined face. She finished with a sideways kick that knocked the bloodied body on its side. Wolf did not know if he was impressed or horrified. He approached the now subdued Revy slowly, coming to a stop behind her. It almost sounded like she was whimpering faintly.

"I…I…" Turning around, she noticed the expression on Wolf's face. Her demeanour changed immediately. "Let's move. We've wasted enough time here." Curious but content to leave well enough alone, he nodded, taking the handgun he had used to kill two of the dead men and heading for the door. He had a hunch about why Revy reacted how she did back there. But he would not pry. That was none of his business and if his hunch was correct, bringing it up with her would not go down too well. The winding corridors and dark passageways of wherever they were only served to frustrate them when they could not find their way out. It would not do well to tarry. They could not risk being discovered. Dutch, too, was nowhere to be seen. It was possible he was in this facility somewhere. That almost deterred them from leaving. But they didn't have much choice. Maybe when they left, Ulysses would send a squad back here to search the place. Until then, Dutch was not a priority. They shuffled through the corridor they were in, emerging out into a wide room with only two doors. The one ahead of them looked as if it would lead them outside. There was only one problem. It was guarded by a two well-armed mercenaries and a woman who was currently hooded. They could not see her face. It was safe to assume that this was Sif.

"No! No! Please, don't, I only did what I did to protect my family!" The poor, snivelling, pathetic man had been handcuffed and put on his knees. Rick took his newly acquired Desert Eagle in his hands and aimed it at his victim. "No, no! Ple-" The shot rang out for miles, but nobody would hear it. They were in a dense jungle, after all. Rick did not waver, as he might have so long ago. Rather, he felt nothing at the sight of this man.

"Very good!" Amelia congratulated him. Having stuck with him since the beginning of his training, she had watched him grow into the callous killer he was today. It pleased her greatly to see such a change in him. "Another do-gooder taken out. That's the last time any of his people will try and get in the way of my operation."

"Who did he kill?" Rick asked. Considering he was being groomed to join Amelia's shadowy organisation one day, she kept him in the dark about a lot of her dealings.

"Henrik. He was on his way to assassinate an enemy of ours. This man killed him. We assume he was related to the target." That made sense. Rick put it out of his mind, however, choosing not to dwell on it. Now that the job was done, he did not care. He would suppress this memory as best he could during the following years until he no longer recalled it at all. "Come on, I'll give you a ride." They hopped in her truck and made their way back to the apartment she had rented out for the training of potential assassins. In spite of this, Rick seemed to be the only one that stayed here these days. He sensed there was more to his training than met the eye. Amelia certainly gave him more attention than a lot of her other agents. As Rick gracefully fell into the couch, she tossed him a beer and joined him. "That was good work you did today."

"Eh, it was just another job," he told her. "I was happy to do it."

"Still, you've come a long way," she insisted, setting down her beer and leaning in to kiss him. The night would be one that Rick would find hard to forget, no matter how hard he tried.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Back to Kill

Rock was dozing off when Ulysses entered the control room once again. The amount of computers and technical equipment was staggering. Benny had been assigned to communications, being put in charge of keeping in contact with the chopper. If anything went wrong, he would know.

"You look tired," Ulysses noted. Rock sat up in his chair and grunted. It was boredom more than anything else that had him so subdued. Although he had no combat experience and would be less than useless in a fight, he would almost prefer to be on the chopper with the others. He would not accompany them into the military base, of course, but being with them during their flight would certainly be better than this. Benny was better suited to technology and computers. "Anything to report?"

"Nothing yet," Benny said uncertainly. "Pilot's not getting back but that's not surprising. The signal is weak. It will pick up soon."

"You never did tell us much about this Sif," Rock ventured, standing to meet Ulysses face to face. The crime lord raised an eyebrow, though he had not taken offense to the comment. He was more amused than anything else, truth be told.

"Something else in you needing an answer? Answers will come, in time. When your friends return, we can talk. I imagine they will have questions, like you." That was quite cryptic, and less than helpful.

"So you know her?" Ulysses sighed, coming to the conclusion that the young man would not leave well enough alone.

"I did," he confirmed. "Very well. She has more ties to my past than anyone else. Well, almost anyone else. But patience, young Rock. When the chopper returns, I will tell you all you want to know and more." His appetite sated for now, Rock nodded and took his seat again. He wasn't exactly looking forward to two hours or more of doing nothing.

"He has a way with words, doesn't he?" noted Benny once Ulysses had left the room.

"Undeniably. That's what worries me."

"You think he's hiding something?" That was hard to say. It was certain that he was keeping his past and relationship with Sif secret. Whether he would end up putting them in danger was another matter. At the moment, Rock did not think the shadowy crime lord had anything sinister to keep from them. But only time would tell if he was slated to become a friend or foe of Lagoon Company.

"I think we have yet to see how this will play out," Rock suggested. "There's a lot more to this job. And I aim to find out."

"I don't like the sound of that," Benny warned, looking up from the computer he was at. "Just don't go snooping around, alright?" It wouldn't be such a bad idea to look around. Rock might find something of importance. He might even learn what connection Ulysses had to Sif before the others got back. But he ultimately decided not to. He would trust Ulysses for the time being, at least until Dutch decided otherwise. He wasn't sure the waiting around was entirely worth it, given that he was completely immobile in a less than comfortable chair with nothing to do. There wasn't even a book in sight. Just when he was about done with the situation and he was fully prepared to leave the room and explore the compound, Benny piped up out of nowhere with a disturbing report.

"Get Ulysses," he ordered.

"What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost." His expression was unimpressed to say the least.

"I can't get through to the pilot. He should have reported back by now. I think something's wrong." Once Ulysses had been called upon, Benny did not hold back in voicing his concerns. He was fully convinced that the chopper had come to harm, claiming that no other occurrence could cause the level of unresponsiveness the pilot's radio was currently exhibiting.

"I didn't want to have to do this," the large man muttered, massaging his temples. "We need to go to that base ourselves. I'll have a second chopper flown in and we can take it along with a few of my best men and women."

"Why wasn't that the original plan?" asked Benny, irritated.

"Because I didn't want to risk losing my people!" Ulysses snapped. "I hoped yours would get the job done. In and out with no problems. Clearly, Sif knew they were coming." The second helicopter arrived almost immediately. Ulysses, Benny, Rock and four soldiers boarded the vehicle. It took to the skies, bound for the base. On the off chance that anti-aircraft guns had been used to shoot down the first chopper, this one was equipped with missiles and a minigun. Nothing would get near it. As it happened, several attempts were made to shoot them out of the sky, all of which were repelled by the highly alert and skilled soldiers. The attacks stopped about ten minutes from the base. Sif had given up on dispatching them, it seemed, opting instead to let them come to her. Rock couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding. He was sure the others were fine. It would take a hell of a lot to kill any of them. But still, this situation was unique. They had clearly come to harm somehow. He just hoped they would be alright. Once they arrived at the base, Ulysses would either pick a safe spot to hide the chopper and sneak in to rescue the others, or he would open fire and raze the facility to the ground. Ten minutes later, he opted to do the latter. The chopper's missiles tore the walls of Sif's hideout to shreds as if they were paper.

"Hold on! Stop!" The voice was Benny's. He was pointing to a side door, now occupied by Revy and Wolf.

"Goddamn," Ulysses spat. "Almost incinerated the poor bastards. Take us down, Greg, we'll get in close and pick them up." The chopper came dangerously close to the crumbling walls of the base. Revy and Wolf hurriedly climbed inside, holding onto whatever they could as the chopper unsteadily took to the skies again. Several of Sif's underlings were firing at them now, hidden in the trees and underbrush. "Get us out of here!" Ulysses ordered the pilot.

"What about Dutch?!" asked Rock, looking to the other two that had just climbed aboard. They looked uncertain, afraid even.

"Didn't see him," Revy answered shortly. "Don't think they even had him in there." That was disheartening. Dutch had to be in the area somewhere. What was even more worrying was that Sif's people had a good chance of finding him now that he was alone.

"I'll have some of my people do am sweep of the area," Ulysses assured them. "If your man is alive, we'll find him."

"He's alive," Revy claimed, adamant. Realising what he had just said, Ulysses donned an expression of regret.

"I didn't mean-"

"He's alive!" she emphasised. That silenced them all for a moment. As they headed for home and appeared to be out of immediate danger, Wolf came to his feet. His face was pale and his eyes sunken. Rock only noticed now that both of them had apparently been beaten.

"We need to talk," the assassin said menacingly, his gaze upon Ulysses. "You have some explaining to do."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Et Tu, Brute?

"I've read your report," Ulysses said, motioning for the woman to take a seat. "I thought we'd gone over this, Amelia. These types of jobs…they're just not acceptable. I will not condone the needless slaughter of innocents." Amelia sat opposite him, looking freakishly disappointed.

"You know there's incredible profit to be made here?" she said, trying to convince him to let her control the direction that their organisation would take. "If we commandeer these drug and weapon shipments, kill anyone that sees our people and sell the merchandise off for reasonable money we'll make more in a week than we would in a lifetime doing what we do now." Ulysses eyed her domineeringly, clearing his throat. She was always stubborn, always willing to do anything to make quick cash.

"Not to mention we'd piss off whoever the shipments originally belonged to," he reminded her. The shipments in question would be taken to impoverished and underdeveloped villages in poorer countries, as many crime syndicates often did so as to draw little attention to their dealings. Amelia's plan was to steal the shipments and sell them for her and Ulysses's own personal gain. While that was risky enough given the amount of dangerous organisations that the shipments plausibly belonged to, what utterly deterred Ulysses was the idea put forth by Amelia that they would wipe out the entire village so as to tie up any loose ends and eliminate any chance that they would be seen. Ulysses was a prolific and successful criminal, having created strong footholds in multiple countries. But he would not stoop to gunning down innocent men and women, even children on the off chance that their enemies would discover them. Amelia was smart, and often ambitious, but this was too far.

"Come on, Ulysses," she pleaded. "Our organisation needs this, it needs to grow and thrive if it has any chance of enduring."

"Wolf Pack is an assassination agency," he reminded her. Though she had co-founded the dangerous group, she often forgot that it was Ulysses that had introduced her to the criminal underworld at a time when she was down on her luck. Together, they had forged a criminal conglomerate of assassins and soldiers that were feared across the world. It did not need to stoop to the levels Amelia was suggesting to thrive. It was doing so just fine without delving into the depravity of genocide. "Consider the topic discussed. We will continue as planned." Defeated, Amelia stood.

"Alright," she conceded. It concerned Ulysses that she would even consider involving herself in these operations. He would need to keep a close eye on her. "I'll drop it. Sorry, Ulysses." She headed for the door. "You coming?" He furrowed his brow.

"Where?"

"The camp?" she reminded him. "You said we needed to check it out, make sure it was secure. If we're going to use it, we don't want any weaknesses in the perimeter." He had forgotten about that, truthfully. The camp in question had been set up not five miles into the forest, just outside of a small town. They would be organising assassinations there for a few weeks. The camp would serve as their new home for that time while they trained their recruits and gathered information on their targets.

"Oh, yeah, of course," he said, lightly slapping his own forehead. "Give me a minute." They left on foot, doing their best to be as quiet as possible, despite the fact that there weren't any enemies around. As far as strangers would be concerned, they were a couple out for a moonlit walk in the local woods.

"How are the recruits coming along?" Amelia asked. They had taken on quite a number of new potential assassins in the last few months. Wolf Pack's numbers were growing.

"I think they are ready for their assignments," Ulysses told her optimistically. "They have come a long way since we began."

"We have."

"And your recruits?" Ulysses asked. Last year, she had expressed an interest in taking on a few personal protégés to train by herself in her own time. It was possible her reasoning was due to her interest in sending agents to retrieve shipments from impoverished villages. If so, he would need to force her to cease training them immediately.

"There's just one, actually," she admitted. "A…prototype, if you will. He's become proficient at fighting at an impressive rate."

"A prototype? For what?"

"For the new and improved Wolf Pack," she told him. He was a few yards ahead of her when he heard that tell-tale _click_ from her gun. He turned around slowly to look her in the eye.

"You can't be serious," he told her, almost whispering in disbelief. "I made you. I dragged you from the dirt and showed you the glory of my world!"

"Oh, bullshit!" she growled. "I like to think of it as you gave me an encouraging kick into the underworld. I woulda made it there eventually. But that's beside the point."

"Indeed. So why, then? Will you at least tell me why I had to die?" Amelia scoffed.

"This is the world we live in. You're so blinded by your morals that you're holding back your own organisation, your baby! There's no room for morals in our world, Ulysses. You'll have to watch from Hell as I bring the Wolf Pack to a level of glory you were never capable of." With no options left, Ulysses closed his eyes, ready to accept his fate.

"If you ever hope to live past this, you better not miss," he told her forebodingly. He felt the cold metal of her gun against his forehead, taking him aback.

"Oh, don't worry," she assured him with a laugh. "I won't."

Rock only noticed the faint scar above Ulysses's left eyebrow once he had finished his story. The chopper was about half an hour out from the compound.

"You knew Sif's true identity when you hired me," Wolf said, trying as best he could to talk over the noise of the chopper with his now-hoarse voice. "You knew she was the woman who trained me, the woman who tried to use me to do her dirty work."

"And the woman who tore my life apart," Ulysses weighed in. "Yes. Amelia would have sent you out on her little errands to retrieve the shipments of other crime organisations. You would have made a lot of enemies. I hoped you would be more eager to stop her after you discovered what she had become. That's why I sent you on this mission, so you would see Wolf Pack for yourself. The vile band of killers you would be a part of today if she had taken full control of you." Wolf placed his hand on his head, trying to process the situation as best he could. He shared a history with Ulysses, however brief and indirect. Now, they both wanted the same woman dead for much the same reason. When she approached the assassin with her offer, he had refused due to the same moral conflict as Ulysses. In response, she tried to kill him, only to have him escape and become the ruthless killer he was today. Wolf turned to the others.

"This…isn't what I thought it was. You guys still okay doing this job?" His question was directed at Lagoon Company.

"Don't got much of a choice," Revy told him. "They'll be coming after us now. We're sticking around."

"Not to mention the payment we were promised," Rock piped up uncharacteristically, attracting judgemental glances from the other two. It was settled then. They would finish out this war with Wolf Pack or they would die trying. Neither option was particularly agreeable.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Husk

"Good news," said Ulysses as he re-entered the warehouse. "My people found Dutch. They're on their way back here right now." That was a relief. Every second that he was out there alone had Rock worried more and more. It was good to finally have confirmation that he was safe. "Chopper is about an hour out." He left them to their thoughts, then, shutting the door behind him. There was nobody else in the room with them. As soon as the chopper returned, they would head back to the apartment for the night. They could use a rest after the day they had. Revy, in particular, hadn't said much at all since the military base. Something happened that her and Wolf would not speak of. The two of them were covered in bruises, not to mention the fact that neither of them would look the other in the eye. Rock wasn't sure if he was too afraid or too apathetic to investigate further. Whatever the reason, he left the issue alone. At least for the time being, it was not important what happened. Dutch entered the room later that night, Ulysses in tow. The crime lord had Revy's Cutlasses and Wolf's Desert Eagle in his hands. They had been retrieved from the base, no doubt. "Thought you two could use these. You probably felt naked without them." They took their weapons silently, reequipping them right away. Taken aback by the silence, Ulysses turned to leave. "Alright, then. I'll call if there are any developments."

"You alright, Dutch?" asked Rock. Lagoon Company's leader was tough as nails. He had a few cuts and scrapes, nothing he could not handle.

"My leg's a bit the worse for wear," he admitted. "Nothing a beer won't numb. Anyone up for the Yellowflag tonight?" Nobody responded.

"Uh, sounds good, yeah," Rock answered, attempting to diffuse the tension by any means. They could all use a drink, by the looks of things. Wasting no time, they headed to the bar immediately. Bao looked pissed to say the least. The damage that had been done earlier in the week was almost fully repaired now. Still, he would not be the most pleasant person to be around. He was reluctant to supply them with drinks for the whole night.

"So, clue me in," Dutch said, speaking low so the others would not hear. Only Rock was permitted to listen. "What's the deal? Those two haven't been the same since I got back."

"Beats me," Rock answered, craning his neck to look down the bar at Revy and the sullen assassin. Several suggestions came to mind about what might have happened to them, none too pleasant. "They just…haven't said anything all day. When we found them, they were beaten badly. I'm not entirely convinced they didn't do that to each other."

"You think one of them snapped?"

"Hard to say," he admitted. "They were going to fall out eventually." That was true enough. Truthfully, if they had beaten the snot out of one another and survived, it was probably for the best. At least it was out of their systems now. That way, Lagoon Company could finally move on with the job without wondering when one of the two subdued killers at the bar would explode and go for the other one.

"Well, if it isn't my favourite people in Roanapur," Eda exclaimed as she strode up to the bar in her off-duty clothes and took a seat beside Revy. "Damn, what's gotten your panties in a twist?"

"Shove it, Eda," Revy retorted, downing her drink and signalling for a refill.

"And who's your handsome friend? Jackal or something, right?" Wolf smirked, surprisingly, as he took a swig of the cold, cheap beer he had been given. "He the newest plaything while you keep denying your thing for you-know-who?" Revy's eyes flashed threateningly before she threw her glass in Eda's direction. The nun ducked, causing the glass to smash to pieces against the far wall.

"As if you haven't wrecked my bar enough," Bao commented as he walked past them.

"Damn, testy, aren't we?" Eda muttered provokingly.

"Careful, sister," Revy spoke, her voice deathly quiet. "I wouldn't want to ruin that shitty face of yours." Eda decided not to overstep what little boundaries she already hadn't.

"Relax, Revy," she said calmly, ordering a drink. "Just checking in." Wolf turned to Benny.

"Who's 'you-know-who'?" Benny shrugged, though if he had to guess he'd probably guess fairly accurately. As it happened, the alcohol did nothing to lighten them up. Revy and Wolf only became less approachable and conversable as the night went on and the others had no idea how to change that. Dutch opted to leave them be. Whatever they were going through, they needed to work through it themselves, as far as he was concerned. If this became a serious problem, then he would talk to them about it. Until then, he retired to his bed, as did the others. In the morning, they were woken by Dutch, as was his custom these days. He gathered them all in the living room. Mister Chang sat as comfortable as ever in front of the television. Two of his people stood just behind him. His security and members of the Hong Kong Triad.

"Revy, good to see you again. It's been too long."

"It has, boss," she told him, her spirits lightened this morning. Whether it was the sleep she had gotten or the appearance of Mister Chang was best left to interpretation.

"So what can I do for you, Chang?" asked Dutch as he relaxed into the chair opposite the Triad's leader.

"I'm here about this job I heard about," he explained. "I've been told you're working for an international criminal who makes his home here in Roanapur."

"That's right," Dutch answered. "Ulysses. He hired us just recently." Chang nodded. Rock sensed his presence here had more to do with his own agenda than that of Lagoon Company.

"I understand he plans on going to war with an enemy of his. And he's bringing you along."

"You're knowledge never ceases to amaze," Dutch told him sarcastically.

"Look, Dutch, I'm going to level with you. Whatever you're planning, it's going to bring a lot of heat down on the city. It's hard enough to draw attention away from Roanapur, harder still when a crime lord has his own personal war here. Don't make this harder for me than it has to be."

"I don't intend to," Dutch admitted. Roanapur was the centre for many of the world's shady dealings, including drug trafficking and general smuggling. Chang was essentially in charge of the city, though there were others who would claim the same. He did his best to make sure outside parties never had a reason to investigate the city. If Ulysses and Sif went to war in the city, that might pose serious problems for the Triad. Lagoon Company needed to tread cautiously.

"I don't recognise this one," Chang piped up, pointing at Wolf. "He new?"

"He's an assassin," Dutch filled the Triad boss in. "Ulysses asked for him personally."

"For his war," Chang grumbled. Nobody said anything. "Well, then. I'd best be off. Think about what I said, Dutch. It's all our heads if this job of yours goes south."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Burned to Ash

Revy hadn't said much, even to Rock with whom she shared a strange but unique bond. They were sat at the kitchen table that morning. They had not received the call to head to the compound, meaning there was no work to be done. So here they were, patently waiting for the storm to come. When they next got called by Ulysses, it would presumably be to finish the job out, to kill Sif and end her organisation. Wolf was not in the room. It was only the three of them in the apartment today. Dutch and Benny were out on the Black Lagoon. The assassin had apparently gone to take a shower, leaving Revy and Rock alone.

"Revy, you haven't said a word all morning," he began as he retrieved his chopsticks and started on his bowl of noodles. Revy simply grunted.

"What do you want me to say, Rock?"

"I thought you might want to talk about what happened at the base."

"Nothing happened," she said. "We ran into Sif. She had words with Wolfy about their past and shit. Then you guys started bombing the shit out of the place, killed one of her guys. So she let us pass. Then we got on the chopper. That about cover it?" Well, it was certainly more than she had shared since she emerged from the facility. Rock supposed he couldn't ask more than that.

"I'm just concerned, that's all," he assured her calmly. "I want to know if you're alright." She blinked, slow and lackadaisical.

"I'm fine, Rock," she told him, her voice low and glum. "Quit pestering me." He focused on his noodles for the next while, seeing it as unwise to test her. He had done that too recently. He would give her time and space. Eventually, she would be ready to talk. If not, he would deal with that at the time. For now he needed to focus. He was planning something. An idea had been festering in him for some time now, one that would cause uproar in the group. He just needed to figure out how to put it into action. If he pulled it off, Lagoon Company would be set up for life. He would assure their safety and the completion of Ulysses's job.

"You're not looking so hot yourself, Rock," she told him.

"I'm fine, Revy," he lied. This idea worried him. If he went through with it, he would either complete his journey to the darkness and commit to the criminal life or lose himself along the way. It was a risk, but one he was willing to take.

"You're a shit liar," she told him. She did not seem interested enough to push him for more, instead deciding to light a cigarette. She could use some stress-release. All she needed was to take the edge off. This job had been trying so far, not as exhilarating or fulfilling as previous work Lagoon Company had accepted. As uncommon an opinion as this was with Revy, she would be glad once they were finished with Ulysses and they could wave his job goodbye. Even Rock was looking forward to things returning to normal. The boredom that plagued them so often was not so much of an issue anymore. Roanapur had its entertainment if you knew where to look and had the resolve. It would be nice to finally relax and be content with their payment. Ulysses promised to pay them once Sif was either captured or dead. In the event of him being killed, he had ordered his men to pay Lagoon Company and the Wolf prematurely. It was a win/win situation, from where Rock stood. Wolf emerged from the other room with only his jeans on. He went to the fridge and grabbed a beer, drying his hair with a towel in his other hand.

"Is that a wolf tattoo on your back?" Rock asked in reference to the quite unique tribal art piece between the assassin's shoulder blades.

"That's a wolf tattoo on my back," he confirmed, grabbing his shirt from the couch and buttoning it up halfway. He joined them at the table. "We're almost there, now. Job's almost over."

"What happens if it goes south?" Rock asked. "It's Roanapur that will suffer. I don't want to think about the amount of people that will be after us if we screw this up. How do we even deal with that?"

"Well, I'm going back to Ireland," Wolf told him. "To hide away in the most obscure hole in the ground I can find." He took a sip of his beer.

"I can't wait to put a bullet between this bitch's eyes," Revy said, her mind on Sif's arrival. Wolf's eyes shot up from his beer momentarily, locking eyes with the gunslinger for a fleeting second before he returned his gaze to the table.

"Try and get there before me," he said jokingly. "I'll race you." Revy actually smiled at that, probably from genuine curiosity and interest in racing to see who would get the opportunity to kill Sif first.

"You're on, Wolfy!" she challenged him. "First one to the blonde bitch gets first choice of what to do with her." Rock theorised that Ulysses would let neither of them kill her, choosing to do it himself. He had a hatred for her matched only by Wolf. Still, it was nice to see them actually enjoying themselves, laughing and revelling at the thought. He would not spoil the moment. It was particularly refreshing to see the two of them get along seeing as how not two days earlier they wanted to beat each other to a pulp. Rock had a theory that they had indeed clashed with one another. The still-visible bruises on their faces proved that something had happened. That along with whatever unspoken occurrence that had taken place at Sif's facility had actually served to draw Wolf and Revy closer. Where once they could have been formidable enemies, they now bore a respect for one another, a weak but growing bond that would cement them as allies. For that, Rock was glad. Revy was a cold, distant individual, one who made few friends but made them easily and kept them. He was glad the shadowy assassin might count himself among them one day.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Hail to the King

They arrived at the compound at midday, having been called in by Ulysses. It was urgent. According to his scouts, Sif and her people were on their way to Roanapur right now. This would be bloody if the reports were true. She had allegedly been spotted at the head of a large convoy of armoured vehicles. Once they were geared up and ready for her arrival, Rock suspiciously snuck away, entering the warehouse where Ulysses was currently arming up. Only Revy seemed to notice his absence. She wondered what he was up to. Ten minutes later, they both emerged, Ulysses with an armoured vest under his waistcoat. Neither of them discussed Rock's purpose for being in the warehouse, though they both looked as though they had been talking at length. They were just in time, too. A truck pulled up outside the wall of the compound just before Sif exited it and climbed atop the roof, surveying the slew of armed killers before her. She had a full view of the compound from where she stood. Her reinforced steel outfit was very state-of-the-art, having been made to protect against the toughest of damage. Even though her movements were sluggish, bullets and blades would have a hard time getting through to her.

"Isn't this nice?" she said, her voice raised so everyone could hear her. No helmet protected her head, leaving her open to being killed by a headshot. Still, she had more to say. And this was Ulysses's operation. If he had not opened fire yet, Revy would not either, no matter how much she wanted to. "The whole family came out for my arrival. You have a way of bringing people together, Ulysses, I'll tell you that."

"If you don't mind, I'd rather skip the pleasantries," he retorted. "I have an offer for you, something that may change your mind about what you do here."

"Oh really? What's that?" With a wave of his hand, Ulysses's men advanced and restrained Wolf, disarming him in the process, much to the horror of the others. "I know why you're here. We've been at each other's throats for some time now but as soon as I hire the Wolf to assist me, you actively seek me out. So you can have him. In exchange for the safety of the rest of us."

"What are you doing?" asked Benny, thoroughly surprised and disturbed by this sudden betrayal.

"I'm keeping order," Ulysses claimed. Wolf struggled in futility. He was being handcuffed at this very moment.

"You can't do this," he pleaded. "You can't!"

"Sorry, Wolf, but I can. Do it, men." Ulysses's people took Wolf outside and threw him down before Sif's truck. Wolf Pack's members emerged from the vehicle and took the assassin inside. What they would do with him was their business.

"You sure are a sharp one, Ulysses," Sif grumbled before stepping down from the truck's roof. "But don't think this changes anything. I'll still be hunting for you."

"And I you," he reciprocated as she entered the truck and it took off in the other direction, towards the forests. As soon as it was gone, Revy grabbed Rock's shirt and dragged him towards her.

"What the FUCK kind of game are you playing, Rock?!" she screamed, furious that his innocent mind would devise such a nasty betrayal.

"Relax," Ulysses commanded. "He brought it to my attention that Sif wanted Wolf alive more than she wanted to kill him. Giving him up spares us and the city her wrath."

"And you were okay with this?" Dutch asked, far less phased than the others by this development.

"She'll kill him," Benny pleaded. "You just sent him to his death."

"And made Sif think she's still safe," Ulysses told them. "Your boat-the Black Lagoon-is it ready to move?"

"It should be," Dutch responded, confused. "Why?"

"Get it ready. We're going to ambush that convoy." Still none the wiser about what the plan was here, Lagoon Company and Ulysses made their way to the boathouse. Once everything was prepared, they took off, bound for the northern forest. The river that ran through there was located just beside the route that Ulysses predicted Sif would be taking. Then, they would ambush the convoy and kill her. As callous as it seemed, they did not appear to be concerned about Wolf's safety. If she had killed him before they arrived, so be it. As long as the Wolf Pack was destroyed they were happy. Revy approached Rock once more during the journey. He was out on deck, a cigarette in his hand and a disturbingly satisfied grin on his face.

"I don't know what it is you're planning, Rock," she told him quietly as she plucked the cigarette from his mouth and took a drag. "But you better be damn well ready to deal with the consequences. If this goes bad, we're all fucked. And it's your ass that's on the line."

"Thanks for the warning," he shot back at her dismissively. That startled her for a moment before she flicked the cigarette into the water below. Tempted to say more but unsure of what to say, she turned and went to join Dutch.

"How's he doing?" he asked, concerned for Rock's well-being. That was a hard question to answer, seeing as how Revy didn't know.

"As you'd expect," she replied, deciding not to think too much about it. She could see what was happening. You would have to be blind not to, in her opinion. It had been too long since the incident with the Lovelace family. Back then, Rock had seemingly exposed himself to the darkness intentionally so he could do some good. Now, it was more twisted than that. Now, Rock was giving in to the looming corruption that he had been free of ever since he came to Roanapur. It had been a long time coming. It disturbed Revy in ways she did not understand to think of Rock in that way. She dreaded to imagine what kind of person he would be coming out of this job. The darkness was coming and when it did, only ashes would be left in its wake.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Den of Wolves

"Stay low," Ulysses commanded as he, Dutch and Revy hid in the long grass. He retrieved a walkie-talkie from his pocket. "Jensen, what's your position?"

"About three minutes out," the man on the other end replied. He was currently piloting a gunship, on his way to their location now. Sif wouldn't know what hit her after this. They could hear the convoy approaching now.

"Get ready," Ulysses told the others. "This isn't going to be pretty."

"Fucking-A, it's not gonna be pretty," Revy agreed, readying her weapons. They spotted the truck through the blades of grass as it approached, edging nearer and nearer to their location. The sound of the gunship reached their ears now as well. It was time to get this party started.

"Now!" Ulysses screamed, jumping up from the ground and firing his rocket launcher at the ground just inches in front of the truck. Sif's vehicle did not explode, but instead came to an abrupt stop and toppled over on its side. The rest of the convoy, consisting of three jeeps and a smaller truck at the back, stopped too. Agitated members of Wolf Pack emerged with weapons in hand. It was a warzone once everyone opened fire. Blood spattered everywhere and empty bullet casings littered the grassy countryside. Revy leapt down the length of the convoy, gunning down whatever enemies were in her way. Opening the back of the truck, she spotted Wolf, fresh bruises on his face but alive.

"You look like shit," she told him before unlocking his handcuffs and handing him his duffle bag. He looked delighted to finally have his equipment back.

"Oh, I've missed this shit," he said as he reequipped his Desert Eagle and machete-like blade. Reaching into the duffle bag, he snatched up a black breathing mask which he strapped to his face. It did not cover his eyes, but it would help him breathe through the smoke from the explosions he was eager to cause. Slinging the duffle bag around his shoulder, he joined the others in their assault. Sif was nowhere to be seen just yet. That did not mean she had fled, however. They would have seen her. The onslaught continued, only worsened by the arrival of the gunship. Jensen sent a missile barrelling into the side of one of the jeeps, causing all three to explode in a cloud of fire and ash.

"Oh, lord," Wolf exclaimed, his voice made almost mechanical and distorted by the mask's breathing apparatus. "If I had a girlfriend, I just cheated on her." He joined Dutch and Ulysses, slapping the latter across the back of the head for giving him up to Sif. While he theorised the crime lord never believed Sif would kill him, he had still put the assassin's life in danger. Little did he know that the scheme was Rock's in the first place. Revy would be sure to tell him later, assuming she had not unleashed her fury on the Japanese man first. Wolf gunned down two of the enemies before spotting a silhouette on the other side of the burning convoy. It was Sif, unmistakable in her metal armour. He jumped through the flames, pursuing her at an alarming rate. Revy followed him, eager to gun down the leader of the Wolf Pack and end this.

"Don't think you're getting to her first!" she taunted mockingly, almost overtaking him as they came closer to the formidable woman. Wolf laughed.

"Hah! Try and stop me!" It was only when they came within fifteen feet of her that she whipped around, grenade launcher in hand. The shot she fired plummeted into the ground right beside them, sending them both in the other direction with ringing in their ears and flames engulfing the grass where they had been standing. Sif approached them now, unsheathing a blade similar to Wolf's. If she came close enough to use it, this would not be a pretty sight to witness. Revy had misplaced her Cutlasses and she was in no shape to retrieve them.

"There you are," Sif called so they would hear her clearly. "The Big Bad Wolf. You used to be great, a ruthless killer that struck fear into the hearts of the weak and the frail. Your victims would hide wherever they could, waiting…watching…whispering 'the Wolf is coming!' How far the mighty have fallen." She brought her weapon towards him. Luckily, he unsheathed his own blade just in time to catch the swing. Their melee went on for some minutes, but Revy could see the assassin was failing. As if the explosion that had floored him wasn't enough to weaken him, Sif's metal suit put more weight behind her swings, making her attacks far more punishing. It didn't take long before Wolf's blade was knocked from his grasp and he was brought to his knees, breathing heavily and sweating through his layers. "You could have made us great. But, damn, you let your damn morals get in the way. Well, fuck it. Have fun wherever you end up. I'll be sure to send your friends after you." As she raised her weapon and prepared to cleave Wolf's head in half, she faltered at the sharp sound that met her ears. Looking down, she spotted blood leaking from a gap in her segmented breastplate. The leader of Wolf Pack desperately looked around for the source of the sound. Her eyes landed on Revy, smoke streaming from the barrel of her Cutlass. Seizing his opportunity, Wolf kicked his former mentor to the ground. He took his Desert Eagle in his hand, pointing it at her face as she coughed up bloody spittle.

"What's that?" he said between heavy breaths. "It sounded like you were questioning my ruthlessness. Shit, fuck. You really fucked up there." He did not hesitate, not even for a second. The bullet crunched through the front of her skull, sending brain matter and blood spewing across the grass beneath her. And so she was dead, finally after all this time. Though Ulysses had not killed her, he had watched her die. He stood not fifty yards away clutching a bullet wound in his side, watching as the woman he had tried so hard to bring down had been destroyed by the weapon she created. It was finally over. The few remaining members of Wolf Pack attempted to flee, only to be mercilessly killed by Dutch. Lagoon Company's leader had been shot in the left arm, though no fatal, permanent damage had been done to him. Wolf turned around to head back, patting Revy on the shoulder as he did. Had she not intervened, he likely would have been dead. He was grateful for that. Considering the events in the military base with the bearded man, they were now even. Though that particular encounter had evidently had far more of a psychological effect on Revy than this had had on Wolf. Ulysses and the assassin shared an approving nod, both satisfied with the events of today. They had done good work. Returning to the boat, they all headed below deck save for Dutch, Rock and Revy.

"You knew she couldn't kill him," Dutch said. "You knew he'd be alive and we could ambush the convoy with his help." Rock took a drag of his cigarette, breathing in deeply before exhaling.

"Of course I did," he admitted, an odd cockiness in his voice.

"Then…the whole plan, giving up Wolf…that was-"

"-to please Chang," Rock finished. "Yes. Chang was clear that he didn't want any more attention drawn to Roanapur. If Sif was happy to leave with her prize, then we could please Chang and finish out the job all in the same day. I count that as a victory, don't you?"

"Yeah," Dutch agreed, though his voice sounded unsure. "That's what worries me. You be careful, Rock. This is becoming a trend."


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Death In His Eyes

Dutch took the Black Lagoon out into the water, just fifty yards from the Buddha statue. Ulysses was a man of his word, evidently. Lagoon Company and Wolf had each been paid five-hundred thousand dollars. There was nothing more for them to do. Once they had gotten paid and they said their goodbyes to the wealthy crime lord, they left the compound and returned to the boat. The job was finished at last. They could relax in peace for the foreseeable future, without a care in the world. Mister Chang had been in contact, too, expressing his amazement that Lagoon had managed to draw Sif and her people away from the city and spare Roanapur from the damage and attention it would have received. Unremarkably, he assumed it had been Rock that devised the plan that deterred Wolf Pack. Indeed, that was something that the others were still concerned about. Revy emerged from below deck to find Rock smoking as he looked on at the city. He wore a heavy black trench coat that made him resemble Mister Chang. In fact, he was appearing more like the Triad's leader in more ways than one lately.

"If you came up here to yell at me for what I did, forget it," he told her. "There's no need." Revy strode up beside him and glared out at the rippling waters surrounding them.

"I don't know what you're getting so defensive about, goddamn it," she said. "I just hope you knew what you were doing out there."

"I did," he assured her. "I really did. You don't have to be afraid, Revy. I can do this. I can deal with the consequences of this world now." Revy did not reply. Instead, she produced a cigarette of her own, forcing it between her lips and lighting it. "You once told me that if I kept looking at Roanapur with life in my eyes, it would hurt. And it did. For a long time." Revy took a drag, anticipating what was to come. It pained her to watch this happen, to condemn Rock to the fate he had apparently chosen. But it was time to accept that, time to stop meddling in his life.

"Do what you gotta do, so you don't become a real corpse," she told him, repeating something she had told him before. Now, though, it had far less effect. It was different now. It applied to Rock in a new yet terrifying way. "You came pretty close back there."

"Yeah, I did," Rock agreed, tossing his cigarette into the water. "But maybe now _is_ the time. Maybe this is it, Revy."

"Yeah," she said. The two of them remained silent as they absorbed the lights of Roanapur, examining the expansive city that had long ago been built on crime, death and ashes. This was Rock's home now. He had long been trying to adapt, struggling with the idea of what it might do to him. It disturbed him on many occasions, the thought of the person he would become. But now was the time to get off the fence. Today was the day of reckoning, when the fate of Rock's soul would be decided. And Revy chose not to protest to this transformation. That was remarkable restraint on her part. She would likely suppress her feelings like she always did, with either alcohol or violence. Regardless, they would enjoy this night, the cool breeze sweeping over them as they contemplated their lives, their situation. Wolf appeared behind them, making little sound as he did so. He walked up behind them, coming to a halt and falling in beside Revy.

"What a fucking day," he said. Only his Desert Eagle was holstered at his leg now. The rest of his equipment had been packed away in his duffle bag, which raised the question of where he would go from here.

"You said it, Wolfy," Revy concurred. They were all quite subdued, more concerned with de-stressing after the events of the day than chatting.

"That was some dodgy shite you pulled off today, Rock," the assassin began, referring to how Rock had planned the entire ambush. The Japanese man was expecting some anger, perhaps even physical abuse. But Wolf did not lose his temper. No, in fact, his expression could almost be called admiring, filled with respect and curiosity.

"You think so?"

"I do. I was impressed. Sure, the part where I almost died was a bit out of the fucking blue…" That had them laughing, at least. "But, hey. We all came out of it alright. So thanks."

"For what?" Rock asked, surprised Wolf was so forgiving about it.

"For making sure that bitch got what was coming to her. If I died, well, at least Sif would too." That was true, given the circumstances. Ulysses and Lagoon Company would not have let her escape. "But if you ever put me in danger again, I'll tear off your nuts and feed them to a rabid dog." Revy chuckled heartily.

"I'll remember that," Rock told him, smiling warmly. Dutch and Benny joined them eventually. The two of them had likely been revelling about the fact that everything had gone so smoothly.

"Enjoying the view?" Dutch asked as he put his hands in his pockets and breathed in the cold night air.

"Yeah. Something like that," Rock told him.

"What's next for you, Wolf?" Lagoon's leader asked then, the question that was on all of their minds right about now. While they would not be particularly sad about the assassin's departure, he had acclimatised into the group better than most and had made an impression. He would be missed, however briefly.

"Who knows?" the assassin remarked, as cryptic as ever. "I might hang around the city for a while. I can't imagine there'll be much work going, but hell, I never got to see the sights. Or I might go home. I haven't made up my mind yet."

"Heh. Well, thanks for having our backs out there," Dutch told him. "If you do stick around, you know where we are."

"So the guy just cleared out of that compound?" Eda asked, pouring herself another drink.

"Looks like it," Revy said, referring to Ulysses. The crime lord had packed up his equipment and left Roanapur hours ago, it seemed. There was no trace of him left. Wherever he had gone, they would more than likely never see him again. "Good riddance."

"Hey, you got paid," Eda reminded her pessimistic friend. "That's something."

"Yeah," Revy grunted, throwing back her own drink before refilling it. Eda planted her feet up on the table, rocking in her chair slightly.

"And that assassin dude is heading off too?"

"For a while, yeah."

"Damn. He wasn't bad to look at, either. I thought you'd keep him around. You know, for stress-release. Seeing as how you still haven't sampled the local goods, that is." Revy's hand tightened around her glass as she slammed the handle of her Cutlass down on the table.

"EDA!"


End file.
